TMG Newsmaker of the Week: Navy

Let’s get to the obvious first. Navy’s 46-40 win over Houston created shock waves through the upper echelon of the FBS rankings. It also had an impact on the American Athletic Conference’s chances of placing a team in college football’s Final Four. And it put Houston, the morning line favorite for being part of the Big 12 expansion (if there is expansion), into the position of not even winning its own division (the AAC West).

Then let’s talk about the more subtle things. Like Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Ted Carter Jr. cancelling classes for a day after the Midshipmen’s upset of the Cougars.

There’s more. Like in the opening game against Fordham when starting Navy QB Tago Smith was injured, the Middies were a little bit short at QB. So Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo made the call–to the crowd in the stadium for freshman QB Malcolm Perry. Perry was listed as Navy’s fourth string QB, but did not dress for the game. He came out of the stands, suited up and went into the game in the second half, carrying the ball 7 times for 30 yards.

And finally there is this. The Naval Academy is located in Annapolis, Md. which is one of the great college towns in America. If it were the site of a Power 5 conference school, it would be automatically classified as one of the best party schools in the country.